Brake rigging for railway cars

ABSTRACT

A foundation brake rigging arrangement for railway cars includes anchoring rods and brake rigging rods which are supported beneath the axles of each of the wheeled trucks provided at opposite ends of the car. The brake beams for each pair of wheels in a truck are actuated by brake levers respectively connected to a connecting rod at their upper ends and to the brake lever rod and foundation rod at their other ends. The brake levers each comprise two pieces interconnected to accommodate variations in vertical height which occur between the connections of the rods resulting from normal truck operation.

i United States Patent [191 Yates et al.

[ 1 Nov. 4, 1975 BRAKE RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS [75] Inventors: Donald B. Yates, Park Forest;

George S. McNally, South Holland,

21 Appl. No.: 514,337

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 567,674 3/1924 France 188/52 Primary Examiner-Trygve M, Blix Assistant ExaminerEdward R. Kazenske Attorney, Agent, or FirmRichard J. Myers [57] ABSTRACT A foundation brake rigging arrangement for railway cars includes anchoring rods and brake rigging rods which are supported beneath the axles of each of the wheeled trucks provided at opposite ends of the car. The brake beams for each pair of wheels in a truck are actuated by brake levers respectively connected to a connecting rod at their upper ends and to the brake lever rod and foundation rod at their other ends. The brake levers each comprise two pieces interconnected to accommodate variations in vertical height which occur between the connections of the rods resulting from normal truck operation.

9 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,917,025

US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,917,025

BRAKE RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to braking arrangements for a railway car and particularly to the type of foundation brake rigging disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,184,000, patented May 18, 1965.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art is best disclosed in the aforementioned patent, as well as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,156, patented Nov. 23, 1965. Both of these patents have to do with a foundation brake rigging which is unique in that the brake rigging and anchoring rods extend underneath the axles of the truck rather than above the axles which is customary in conventional foundation brake riggings. The present invention particularly accommodates this type of brake arrangement when it is adapted to railway cars having a particularly low deck height relative to the track permitting only a small clearance between the body bolster and the truck bolster through which a brake lever connecting rod passes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Essentially, it is the object of the present invention to provide brake levers which will accommodate a foundation brake rigging arrangement of the type shown in US. Pat. No. 3,184,000 to railway cars having a relatively low deck provided with little vertical clearance between the body and truck bolsters. As in the abovementioned patent, the brake levers are interconnected at their upper ends by a brake lever connecting rod which extends through a space between the body and truck bolsters. The lower ends of the brake levers of each truck are respectively connected to an anchoring rod anchored on the body and to a brake lever rod which is connected to one or more fulcrum levers, in turn actuated by the piston rod of an air cylinder as is the case in conventional foundation brake riggings.

The present brake levers of the invention are constructed of two portions, upper and lower, which are either hinged or which telescope relative to each other so as to accommodate changes in vertical height which take place, due to the spring mounting of the truck frames during operation. Thus the upper and lower brake lever portions will either hinge to accommodate vertical changes in dimension or will telescope to provide the required variation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view ofa brake rigging assembly provided at one end of a railway car in its relation to a four wheel truck;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of an improved brake lever;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a lower portion of a modified brake lever showing its modified attachment to an actuating rod;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a modified embodiment of a brake lever assembly;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view partially in section of a modified brake lever;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the brake lever disclosed in FIG. 6;

DESCRIPTION OF THEPREFERRED EMBODIMENT A railway car body 10, as shown in FIG. 1, includes an underframe 11 comprising a conventional center sill 12 which extends substantially the length of the car body. The center sill 12 may support a sliding sill 13 which is provided with a conventional cushioning mechanism (not shown) for cushioning end of car impacts. FIG. 1 discloses one end of a car body and it must be understood that a similar end including the truck parts and brake assembly may be provided at the other end of the car. FIG. 1. discloses a body bolster 14 which is suitably supported on a truck bolster 15. The truck bolster 15 is carried on a railway car truck 16 supported on rail wheels 17, each pair of wheels being interconnected by axles 18. The truck further includes conventional parts not disclosed in detail, such as the side frames, the spring assemblies, these being shown in detail in US. Pat. No. 2,930,329, patented Mar. 29, 1960, which discloses the relevant parts comprising a railway car truck. Similarly, each truck includes a pair of brake beams 19 including brake shoes 20 which are supported on the truck for movement into and out of braking engagement with the Wheels of the truck.

Each of the brake beams 19 is moved by means of a brake lever generally indicated at 21. The brake levers 21 include lower portions 22 and upper portions 23. The lower portions 22 are provided with a hook 24 forming part of a hook and eye assembly which is best disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,156, patented Nov. 23, 1965. Each of the lower portions 22 of the brake levers 21 includes an apertured brake beam pivot connection 25 which is pivotally connected to the brake beams 19 by suitable pivot means which may be in the form of a bolt and nut assembly orpivot pin (not shown). As best shown in FIG. 3 each brake beam 21 includes a hinged tongue 26 provided at the upper end of the lower portion 22. The hinged tongue 26 extends into a split hinge bracket 27 and is hingedly connected thereto by means of a hinge pin 28 extending through pivot openings 29 registering with a pivot opening 29' provided in the hinge tongue 26. A longitudinally extending brake lever connecting rod 30 is provided with a clevis l3 pivotally connected by means of a pin 32 through an opening 31' provided at the upper end of the upper portion 23, as best shown in FIG. 3. The brake lever connecting rod 30 as best shown in FIG. 9 projects through a space provided between the body bolster 14 and the truck bolster l5.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 1,.the hook 24 of the left hand brake beam .21 is suitably connectedto an anchoring rod 33 by means of an eye portion 34. The anchoring rod 33 also includes at one end a clevis 35 pivotally connected to a bracket 36 by means of a pin 37. The bracket 36 is suitably rigidly connected to a portion of the underframe 11 of the car body 10. The bracket 36, therefore, provides an anchoring means for the anchoring rod 33. The right hand brake lever 21 is actuated by means of a brake rigging rod 38 which, in turn, includes an eye 39 pivotally connected to the hook 24 of the said brake lever 21. The end of the brake rigging rod 38 may be suitably connected to fulcrum levers or to actuating levers in turn powered by means of an air cylinder which forms part of a conventional brake rigging assembly, as particularly disclosed in the under-the-axle brake rigging U.S. Pat. No. 3,184,000.

The modification disclosed in FIG. 5 includes parts identical to the parts disclosed in FIG. 1 and where similar these same reference characters are utilized. In addition, this modified construction includes brake levers 40 which are of the telescoping, rather than the hinging type previously disclosed. The brake levers 40 include a lower brake lever portion 41 provided with a hook 42 at its lower end. Each brake lever also includes a pivot connection 43 which is suitably adapted for pivotal connection to the brake levers 19. As best shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the upper ends of the lower brake lever portions 41 are provided on opposite sides thereof with outwardly projecting rectangular ears 44. The brake levers 40 also include upper brake lever portions 45 of relatively box-like or tubular construction. The brake levers 45 include spaced plates 46 having flanges 47 providing welded interconnection between the plates 46. Each of the plates 46 is provided with a slot 48, the said slots being in transverse aligned registry and being engaged in relative sliding movement by the integral ears 44. Aligned pivot openings 49 in the upper portions 45 provide for pivotal attachment to a connecting rod 50 having eyes 51 at opposite ends thereof which are securely pivotally connected by means of pivot pins 52 through the openings 49. The foundation rod 33 of the modification of FIG. 5 is connected by means ofits eye 34 to the hook 39 of the left hand brake lever 40. The other brake lever 40 is similarly connected to the brake rigging rod 38 as in the aforementioned embodiment.

THE OPERATION In the operation of the under-the-axle brake rigging the rods 38 are moved longitudinally by the air cylinder and mechanism more specifically described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,184,000. The advantages of the under-the-axle arrangement are well emphasized and illustrated in the said patent and need not further be described. The brake rigging rod 38 is live and in turn moves the live brake lever on the right hand side 21-40 in FIGS. 1 and 5 and the connecting rods 30-50 provide for longitudinal movement of the left hand or dead brake lever 40, in turn, actuating the other brake beam arrangement. The dead or anchoring rods 33 function to support and anchor the arrangement so that the brake levers and brake beams are able to move longitudinally into braking and disengaged relation relative to the wheels of the truck.

In the preferred embodiment and in the modification the brake levers disclosed function to accommodate changes in vertical dimension between the points of connection of the lower ends of the brake lever and the upper ends so as to accommodate changes which occur as a result of operation of the trucks over the road.

The body bolster 14 and truck bolster are supported on side frames which in turn are supported on the axles 18 as indicated in the conventional structure shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,329. The truck bolster, however, as shown in this patent is, of course, supported on springs and therefore due to irregularities in the road bed the bolster moves vertically upwardly and downwardly. The brake lever and brake beam arrangement on the other hand is supported on the unsprung arrangement of the side frames and thus the lower ends of the brake levers 21 and 40 are relatively fixed with respect to vertical movement. As can be seen from the drawing in FIG. 9, the space between the bolsters l4 and 15 through which the connecting rod 30 projects is relatively small and this space, however, moves upwardly and downwardly with the bolsters and by virtue of the spring arrangement, the hinged connection shown in FIG. 1 and the telescoping interconnection of the brake levers shown in FIG. 5 accommodates the upward and downward movement since the upper ends of the brake levers are no longer fixed as in the conventional construction. Thus the connecting rods 30 and 50 may also move up and down with the bolsters to accommodate the vertical changing dimension. In the FIG. 1 arrangement this is achieved by the hinging action of the lower portions 22 relative to the upper portions 23. In the modification shown in FIG. 5, this is achieved by the telescoping arrangement of the lever portions 45 relative to the lever portions 41. FIG. 2 shows in dotted lines the position taken by the upper portion 23 of the brake lever. In the brake lever 40 shown in FIG. 6 the length of movement of the ears 44 relative to the lever portion 45 is determined by the length of the slot 48. Thus it can be seen that as a result of this arrangement the connecting rods can move with the bolsters in a vertical direction changing dimension as springing action takes place. This then permits the under-the-axle brake rigging to be adapted for a car having a relatively low deck and underframe arrangement assuring that no binding occurs between the connecting rods relative to the bolster structures provided.

In FIG. 4 a conventional eye 53 and pin assembly is disclosed which is connected to the lower lever portion 22 of the brake lever which otherwise is similar in design to those shown in the various figures.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway car having wheel 'truck assemblies at opposite ends thereof, at least one of said wheel truck assemblies including a first pair of wheels connected by a first axle disposed on one side of a truck bolster flexibly supported on springs by said assembly and a second pair of wheels connected by a second axle disposed on theopposite side of said truck bolster,

a body bolster on said car supported on said truck bolster,

a brake system for said car including a pair of brake beams each supported on opposite sides of said truck bolsters and including brake shoes adapted to engage said wheels,

a brake rigging rod extending underneath said first axle,

a brake lever pivotally connected to each brake beam for pivotal movement relative thereto,

a brake lever connecting rod pivotally connected to said brake levers,

said brake lever connecting rod extending longitudinally means pivotally connecting said brake rigging rod to one of said brake levers on one side of said first axle,

anchoring means pivotally connected to said other brake lever on the other side of said second axle, the improvement comprising; each of said brake levers comprising first and second portions, said brake lever connecting rod being connected to said first portions, said brake rigging rod and anchoring means being respectively connected to said second portions, means interconnecting said first and second portions of said brake levers to permit relative movement therebetween to accommodate variations in vertical dimension between the points of connection of said brake levers to said brake beams, and said brake lever connecting rod to said first portions, such variations occuring upon flexing of said springs during operation. 2. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said anchoring means including an anchoring rod pivotally connected to said second portion of said other brake lever, and being pivotally connected to said car body. 3. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said first and second portions of said brake levers being hingedly interconnected. 4. The invention in accordance with claim 3, said brake lever being disposed diagonally with respect to a vertical longitudinal plane through said car.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 4,

said first and second portions being interconnected by a hinge pin extending longitudinally.

6. The invention in accordance with claim 1,

said first and second portions of said brake levers being movably interconnected for relative vertical movement.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 1,

said first portion of said brake levers comprising a first telescopic member, and said second portion comprising a second telescoping member telescopingly movable within said first member, and

stop means between said members limiting said telescoping movement.

8. The invention in accordance with claim 7,

said first telescoping member being of tubular configuration.

9. The invention in accordance with claim 8,

said stop means including a projecting member on said second telescoping member relatively movable in a recess provided in said first telescoping member. 

1. In a railway car having wheel truck assemblies at opposite ends thereof, at least one of said wheel truck assemblies including a first pair of wheels connected by a first axle disposed on one side of a truck bolster flexibly supported on springs by said assembly and a second pair of wheels connected by a second axle disposed on the opposite side of said truck bolster, a body bolster on said car supported on said truck bolster, a brake system for said car including a pair of brake beams each supported on opposite sides of said truck bolsters and including brake shoes adapted to engage said wheels, a brake rigging rod extending underneath said first axle, a brake lever pivotally connected to each brake beam for pivotal movement relative thereto, a brake lever connecting rod pivotally connected to said brake levers, said brake lever connecting rod extending longitudinally, means pivotally connecting said brake rigging rod to one of said brake levers on one side of said first axle, anchoring means pivotally connected to said other brake lever on the other side of said second axle, the improvement comprising; each of said brake levers comprising first and second portions, said brake lever connecting rod being connected to said first portions, said brake rigging rod and anchoring means being respectively connected to said second portions, means interconnecting said first and second portions of said brake levers to permit relative movement therebetween to accommodate variations in vertical dimension between the points of connection of said brake levers to said brake beams, and said brake lever connecting rod to said first portions, such variations occuring upon flexing of said springs during operation.
 2. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said anchoring means including an anchoring rod pivotally connected to said second portion of said other brake lever, and being pivotally connected to said car body.
 3. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said first and second portions of said brake levers being hingedly interconnected.
 4. The invention in accordance with claim 3, said brake lever being disposed diagonally with respect to a vertical longitudinal plane through said car.
 5. The invention in accordance with claim 4, said first and second portions being interconnected by a hinge pin extending longitudinally.
 6. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said first and second portions of said brake levers being movably interconnected for relative vertical movement.
 7. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said first portion of said brake levers comprising a first telescopic member, and said second portion comprising a second telescoping member telescopingly movable within said first member, and stop means between said membErs limiting said telescoping movement.
 8. The invention in accordance with claim 7, said first telescoping member being of tubular configuration.
 9. The invention in accordance with claim 8, said stop means including a projecting member on said second telescoping member relatively movable in a recess provided in said first telescoping member. 